Tomb Raider and Hitman delayed

Tomb Raider: Legend and Hitman: Blood Money have slipped to early 2006, SCi-dos (see what we did there?) has confirmed.

Speaking in UK games industry trade paper MCV, a spokesman explained the delay to the two key titles was to "maximise their hit potential". The slippage is the first annouinced by SCi-Eidos since the two British publishers merged back in May.

The news will come as another savage blow to embattled Tomb Raider fans, still choking on the bitter pill that was the disastrous Angel Of Darkness. A quickfire seventh Lara Croft title from a different development studio - Crystal Dynamics - was set to reinvigorate the ailing brand, but the delay points to another troublesome development cycle.

However, in a positive light, early impressions of Legend have been promising and it's hoped the extra polish will enable SCi-dos to do the brand justice.

Hitman's delay, on the other hand, is less significant, given the rate that Eidos has chucked out Agent 47 games over the past four and a half years. A few extra months to kick the bald assassin game into better shape is probably a good thing given how much promise the franchise has.

More news on Tomb Raider: Legend and Hitman: Blood Money when we get it.